[wp-hackers] ZIP file archive API

[Casey Broich]

I'm working on a plugin that downloads third party product data in XML format from an external website. 

The file that is downloaded is a compressed ZIP file format and temporarily stored in a sub-directory just under the Plugin's root directory. 

So the first thing I'm curious about is how to best utilize the WP_http API class for downloading that file into the sub directory. The second thing is how to extract the xml file stored inside the zip archive while minimizing web server restrictions and errors. 

So my question is this.... Does Wordpress already have a built-in class for handling zip archives? 

It would be a pleasant surprise to find out if Wordpress already has something like the WP_http API, but for zip archives to handle all of logic involved with server configurations, zipping & unzipping files, and other file compression functions.

Any suggestions or info would be great. 

Thanks.